jaywalkersw

I am currently looking at getting a mild cam for my A4. I DD the car and need to retain decent street manners and be emissions legal. I won't be regularly running at any tracks and am just looking for a little more umph. I have narrowed my search down to either the Crane 227 or the LT4 Hotcam.

Now my question is: How will the car drive using these cams through the stock TC on a stock (mail order eventually) tune?

BTW I am running the 3.23's in the rear that came with the car and I am already running 1.6RR with the stock cam.

PNYKLR-TA

iTrader: (1)

well i have almost exactly the same car as you including year color and gear. mines just not a ws6. but i also have a baby cam in my car and its a4 DD as well. the cam i chose was the speed inc custom grind. its called the cadillac cam. it is a custom grind from comp cams and is very streetable. i have 1.6RR's dual valve springs new lifters and pushrods, and an slp CAI with asp UD pullies, and i drive the car in all kinds of conditions. all freeway 25 miles one way to school and then work in the mornings is 16 miles one way and its all stop and go. no cam surge what so ever and the car goes like a bat outa hell when i really get on it. ive also got a tune and my air valve deleted. running stock manifolds to dual cats to a y pipe. no muffler. before the muffler was off you could hardly tell the car was cammed when just idling, but now with the muffler off it sounds like a harley and i love it! i wouldnt go with the lt4 hot cam just because it is old technology. i would either go the crane 227 or the cadillac cam like i mentioned i had. try doing a search for the cadillac cam it has put some impressive numbers down thru stock manifolds.

sorry for the long post just thought i would give ya my .02 cents!

jaywalkersw

Thanks for the info, but I was more interested in how they drove using the stock torque convertor. Are you running stock or a higher stall?

PNYKLR-TA

iTrader: (1)

everything is stock on the car expcept what i listed so yes i am running the stock converter and it drives great.

RED94Z28

iTrader: (1)

What in the hell is a cadillac cam? never heard of it

PNYKLR-TA

iTrader: (1)

if you read my whole post you would know exactly where to find it. its a custom grind by Speed Inc. one of the sponsors for this site. it is a Comp Cam custom ground. its known for little to no lope at idle and is supposed to sound completely stock (althought i could notice it slightly) a guy on here posted a dyno with that cam 1.6RR's and a cat back and it was like 308 untuned and 318 tuned. thats close to 350-360 depending on A4 or M6.
very respectable for a smaller cam.

BALLSS

of the 2 cams you listed my nod goes to the 227. If you still have the stock valve springs get the Crane 10308-1 spring kit and swap out the valve stem seals while doing the spring swap. FelPro makes a good valve stem seal.

Andys94Z

iTrader: (2)

i dont know about you

but i wouldnt be running any aftermarket cam on stock manifolds

thats just pointless

PNYKLR-TA

iTrader: (1)

actually its not. like i stated a member of this forum put down 308 to the wheels untuned and 318 to the wheels tuned. thats an impressive number if you ask me. he only had one other modification which was a cat back exhaust. thats higher than full bolt on lt1's with just a cam swap. id say thats not too shabby, because if you were to add all the other bolt on's im sure the car would be closer to 340 to the wheels which is a very respectable number.

RED94Z28

iTrader: (1)

Just a question but if your goin through all the work to put a cam in why not throw some longtubes on it? Longtubes make a hell of a a difference on these engines. Just wondering

PNYKLR-TA

iTrader: (1)

I was wondering when someone would ask that and i know i did the modding bass ackwards but i blew my head gasket and was going to have the head off anyway so i said screw it and spent the extra 1000 bucks to get the cam and internals installed because the shop didnt charge me any extra labor to install the cam. and i was figuring once i paid some of that huge dent off i could go buy some long tubes and throw them on myself. mainly because i know i can do that correctly where as changing a cam and removing all the necesary parts would have been much harder.

lt1-xjs

Even stock bolt-on cars benefit from a higher stall, it still retains your od lock-up.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

I did a cam before headers,stall, gears and it was a mistake. Gained nothing till I gave it supporting parts and this was a smaller cam than you are looking at, a ZZ4 cam. It did drive fine though.

I can understand doing it while the engine is apart and the heads are presumably being disassembled and inspected anyway. Good luck, in the future explain that it is part of a repair.

StealthFormula

iTrader: (35)

I have not personally ran either of those cams on the stock converter but I did run the cc503 on the stock stall and it was a major pain. The car would pull on the brakes at intersections and would stall etc. etc. Because those cams are smaller they will react better with the nod towards the Crane 227. I believe Crane recommends running atleast a 2500 stall speed with that cam and we have I want to say 1800 stock? I would assume the Crane 227 would be alright on the stock stall but not so much the hot cam but again I havent actually done so so I cant say. I would IMO do a stall before cam or else do both.

BattleShip

Yes most engines will feel stronger with a stall but the higher RPM MEANS lower MPG! And yes the stock lockup remains and you will only see a small increase in RPM from a stall when locked up!

BUT a stock tune locks at >=46 mph so tell me do you still believe it has no impact on a DD?

I had a small cam I had ground, was 214/218 .490/.500 and was GREAT and it pulled HARD! Torque is still EXTREMELY important and depending on gear and stall can be faster than larger cammed car.

Stock manifolds on street are not all that bad. Headers do not add nearly what most believe they do, and manifolds are maintenance FREE...Headers are not

PNYKLR-TA

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=96capricemgr;9531623]I did a cam before headers,stall, gears and it was a mistake. Gained nothing till I gave it supporting parts and this was a smaller cam than you are looking at, a ZZ4 cam. It did drive fine though.
QUOTE]

sorry to hear you gained nothing but personally i know i gained some power and so did the guy who put the exact same cam in his completely stock car that dynoed 318 to the wheels with just a tune.

PNYKLR-TA

iTrader: (1)

don't get me wrong i know i will benefit from headers (and wished i had the cash for some) but people act like anything done to your car before headers = no power gains and that is completely false as the first guy to put the cadillac cam in his car showed with his dyno.

BattleShip

I recommend expanding the search for a cam! Your choices will not be good with 3.23 and the stock stall!

There are better choices IMO. With 3.23 and no stall you will be happier with something with more lift and less duration look at comp or even a custome grind.

Goo luck

SS RRR

iTrader: (2)

Indeed. LIke the LPE 211/219 cam. .533/.560 (1.6 rockers) on a 112lsa

BattleShip

YES

That is something FAR more appropriate IMO! I have not used that cam, but the duration and lift sound VERY intriguing!